Allred
Family Organization
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Back to the main Newsletter page Newsletter #13, pg 8, October 1992 Letter From William and Patience Allred To Elijah and Sarah Allred July 14, 1843 Randolph County, NC William lived in Randolph County, NC and was the grandson of the "original" William. He was writing to his son Elijah who was living in Texas in 1843. (William, John, William) Dear Son and Daughter: It is through a kind of providential hand that I am permitted to write these lines to tell you that we are yet alive and enjoying moderate health, though often complaining. We received your letter date May 20th asking about the family. Mahlon was married the 1st of September 1842 to Miss Nellie Patterson; and living in the home that Stephen lived in, but is building a very good house on the premises and has it up and covered - two stories high. The rest of the family are living with me. My son, Reuben is living on the old place and working hard. And lives as well as his neighbors but is not in debt but will take a dram too much sometimes. My son, John, is living in Franklinville and tending to the mill that used to be Coffins Mill. And has bought a lot and has built a very good house on it. And I believe four or five of his family are working in the cotton factory at that place, and is doing as good business as any family in that place. My son William is living in the same place he did when you went away and has a large family and is doing well. He has built a frame to the side and end of his house and finished them off very well and made them very comfortable. Your Uncle John is scuffling alone owning a gang of negroes, hard bent to make ends meet. Some owing to the bad conduct of his two sons. Elisha is doing very well but John and Claborn are doing no good. John’s property is under execution and to be sold next Monday and I don’t see any way he has to prevent them from being sold. Your Uncle Samuel Allred and his family are getting along moderately. The hand of providence has borne down very hard of late. Some year or two past his old father-in-law became void of sense or reason and he took him home to take care of him which was a great trouble. But sometime last Spring he sickened and died. He is left to drag out his days in trouble and solitude. Elisha Coffin’s wife died four or five days before your Aunt Polly Allred. Many of your acquaintances have died since you went from this country. I have no reasonable grounds to suppose that I shall be far behind. I suppose it is unnecessary to say much about the old country but hardness is plenty, markets low, owing I suppose to the bad economy of our government rulers. For ever since the contest has raged so high about moneyed institutions that people are afraid to engage money on account of the scarcity of that article. Before that I thought the old country was improving very fast. The two cotton factories, one at Cedar Falls, and the other at Coffin’s Mill, (now called Franklinville) manufacture vast quantities of cotton thread and cloth and sell thread at ninety cents for five pounds and cloth for eight or ten cents per pound. Be sure and write and give me a full description of Texas and it’s qualities and it’s government. For it may happen that some of the other boys will take a notion to come to that country where stock could live the year round without feeding. There is considerable stock to attend to and I am left single handed to work my way through the world the best I can. Mahlon went to Fayetteville sometime in May last with bacon and whiskey. Bacon was worth from five to six dollars per hundred and whiskey went from twenty to thirty cents per barrel. Don’t say how rich you are for if there was any surplus there are some people in this country that would be willing to receive it. I should be glad to see all my sons that have gone far to the west but I little expect to see any of them any more, during my stay in this world. My son Renee has gone far from us all and I have not had a script of paper from him since he left Tennessee. Laban has been the most mindful of any of you writing to us. I must close my scrambling narrative. And with best wishes for your welfare and happiness. So farewell. |
North Carolina Allreds in the 1750's North Carolina History Timeline |
